Means of escape from sunken submarine and similar boats.



N0.'799,714. PATENTBD SEPT. 19, 1905.. F. T. CABLE 6L L. Y. SPEAR. MEANS 0F ESCAPE FROM SUNKEN SUBMARINE AND SIMILAR BOATS.

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No. 799,714. PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1905.

E. T. CABLE & L. Y. SPEAR. MEANS OE ESCAPE FROM SUNKEN SUBMARINE AND SIMILAR BOATS.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 6. 1904.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK TAYLOR CABLE, OF NEW SUFFOLK, AND LAWRENCE Y. SPEAR,

OF GREENPORT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO ELECTRIC BOAT COM- PANY, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

Specification of Letters -Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1905.

Application filed August 6, 1904. Serial No. 219,765.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, FRANK TAYLOR CABLE, residing at New Suffolk, and LAWRENCE Y. SPEAR, residing at Greenport, in the county of Suffolk and State of New York, citizens of the United States, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means of Escape from Sunken Submarine and Similar Boats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates most particularly to submarine boats capable of diving and running when submerged; but it is not limited necessarily to this special class of boats or vessels.

The object of the invention is to provide means whereby air may be incarcerated in the sunken boat for the preservation temporarily of the lives of those on board and to provide, in connection with such air locks or chambers, means for permitting the crew or people on board the submerged boat to escape from the latter if it cannot be promptly brought to the surface.

The invention is in substance a life-saving means especially adaptable to submarine boats.

In the accompanying drawings, which serve to illustrate an embodiment of the invention as applied to a submarine boat of the usual cigar form or shape, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal mid-section of a part of such a boat, showing the present invention applied thereto; and Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the same, taken through one of the hatches of the boat. on a larger scale, of the means for locking and unlocking the cover of the hatch or escapeaperture and for controlling the air-outlet.

1 designates the metal hull or body of an ordinary submarine boat.

2 designates a superstructure on the hull. This feature has no necessary connection with the present invention; but some superstructure of this character is usually employed on such boats.

3 designates the ordinary eonning-tower or turret of the boat.

One feature of the invention consists `in forming an air lock in the upper part of chamber within the hull or shell of the boat, and the other feature consists in providing in the said shell at said lock an escape-aperture Fig. 3 is a detail view,

or hatch with means for locking the cover thereof and providing for the escape of the incarcerated air from the lock. These are the important coacting features of the invention.

In the hull of the boat are a plurality of transversely-arranged water-tight partitions or bulkheads 4 at the upper part of the chamber within the hull and extending down from the crown or deck plates of the boat-hull a suiiicient distance to form air locks or compartments 5, in which air will be incarcerated should water enter the boat and provide air for the men in the boat to preserve their lives until they are enabled to escape. Preferably these bulkheads extend down at the sides of the boat, as seen at 4 in Fig. 2, to provide a closure in case the boat is careened or tilted over to one side.

In the deck or crown of the boat at the top of the air chamber or lock is a hatch or aperture 6 for the escape of the people in the boat at that point, this aperture being closed by a cover 7, hinged at 8, and having aspring 9, tending to throw it open, but having only about strength enough to overcome the weight of the cover. There may be and preferably will be a plurality of these air locks or compartments 5, as shown in Fig. 1, and also of the hatchesl 6, two of which are shown in Fig. 1, one forward of the conning-tower 3 and one abaft the latter. The covers 7 of these hatches are adapted to be opened simultaneously by means which will now be described.

On thecover 7 is astaple 10, which is adapted to be engaged by a hook 11. The shank of this hook is coupled at its lower end to a crank 12 in a shaft 13,'preferably extending across the compartment or lock and through stuffing-boxes 14 in the bulkheads 4 into the adjacent locks, where the shaft is provided with handles 15 for rocking it. Figs. 1 and 2 show the covers closed water-tight, and Fig. 3 shows one of them open. The hook 11 is coupled to one end of a link 16, pivoted at the other end to the coaming of the hatch, whereby when the shaft 13 is rocked, so as to cause the crank 12 to elevate the hook, the latter is also moved outward by said link, as seen in Fig. 3, and thus disengaged from the staple 10.

There is an air-outlet pipe 17 in the cover controlled by a cock 18, and on the plug of this IOC) cock is an arm 19, which lies when the cock is closed in contact with or adjacent toa project-ing pin 20 on the hook 11, whereby when the hook is moved laterally by the link 16 the arm 19 is moved over and the plug of the cock turned, so as to open the air-outlet and permit the confined air to escape. The cover may then be raised. f

The operation of the device is as follows: If the boat from any cause has had a breach in its hull of suiiicient size to cause it to lill or sink, it will settle and rest on the bottom, the rising water compressing the air in the compartments or locks 5 to a point due to the depth of submergence. The crew being a'ssembled in the uninjured air-locks 5 may open the cover or scuttle 7 of a lock nearest them that is so provided, through the medium of a shaft 13, and allow the said lock to fill. rIhe air will escape from this lock through the pipe 17, and the cover will then be opened by its spring 9. Vhen this is done, the men may reach this compartment having the open cover or scuttle by stooping and passing under the intei-mediate bulkheads depending between the locks. On reaching the open lock they may pass out through the hatch and rise to the surface. If the boat or vessels inability to rise to the surface should not be due to a breach in the hull, but to some other cause, the boat may-be filled through its sea-valve (not shown in the drawings) and the hatch-covers opened, as above explained. All such vessels are provided with sea-valves, and it has not been deemed necessary to illustrate this well-known device.

Obviously the cover 3 of the conning-tower may be provided with the same appliances for locking and unlocking and for permitting the escape of incarcerated air precisely like those above described with respect to the hatch-covers or scuttles 7. This will not require illustration, as the cover 3a of the tower is practically the same as the hatch-covers 7. In the drawings the coamings of the hatches 6 extend up to the level of the superstructure 2; but this is not actually necessary, provided the superstructure has in it an aperture of sufficient size situated directly over the hatch. The hatch-covers should have a packing 21. The pressure of the water of flotation will hold them firmly closed under ordinary conditions when the vessel is submerged.

It is not essential to the present invention that the particular means shown for locking and unlocking-the covers or scuttles 7 and for operating the air-outlet valves shall be employed. Any equivalent devices would serve.

It should be understood that while there may be, and preferably will be, a plurality of air-locks in the boat to provide a refuge for the crew in case of accident, as explained,

it is not intended to provide each lock with a hatch and cover or scuttle. On the contrary,

the men should not take refuge in a compart` ment or lock where the scuttle is to be opened, but in adjacent locks, and the scuttle should be opened from one of said adjacentlocks. Each scuttle has means for opening it independent of the other or others.

Having thus described our invention, we claimv 1. A boat or vessel of the character specified, having a plurality of air locks or compartments formed in its upper part by means of water-tight bulkheads extending only part way down through the depth of the boat, a hatch in the hull opening into one of said compartments and provided with a cover or scuttle, means for securing and releasing said cover, and means for controlling the escape of air from said compartment to the outside of the boat, substantially as set forth.

2. A boat or vessel of the character described, having a plurality of air-locks or compartments formed in theupper part of its interior, by means of transverse water-tight bulkheads which extend onljT part way down through the depth of the boat, hatches in the hull opening one into each of said compartments and provided with a cover or scuttle, means for securing said covers and for releasing them independently from one of the adjacent air-locks, and means also for controlling the escape of air from such air-locks and operatable from adjacent air-locks, substantially as set forth.

3. A submarine boat or vessel, having in the upper part of the chamber in its hull a plurality of air locks or compartments 5, a hatch 6 in the hull at one or more of said compartments or air-locks, a hinged scuttle or cover 7 closing said hatch, means for locking said cover, a cock-controlled air-outlet in each cover, a rock-shaft 13 extending to adjacent air-locks, means in the air-locks for rocking said shaft, and means between said shaft and the cover-locking means and air-controlling cock in the air-lock for operating said devices through said shaft.

4. A submarine boat, having in it compartments 5 for incarceratingair, said compartments being formed by transverse bulkheads 4, with extensions 4 at their ends, and means for escape to the outside of the boat from one or more of said compartments, said means comprising a hatch and its cover, an air-outlet, and means forcontrolling said outlet.

'5. A submarine boat, having in it compartments at the upper part of its interior for incarcerating air when the boat fills, and means for escape from one or more of said compartments to the Water outside of the boat, said means comprising a rock-shaft 13 in the compartment and provided with a crank 12 and handle 15, a hatch in the boat-hull and opening to said compartment, a cover 7 for said hatch, provided with an opening-spring and a staple, a hook 11, coupled to the crank 12 and adapted to engage the staple on the cover,

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a link 16, coupled to the hook for moving it laterally, a pin 20 on said hook, and an airoutlet pipe 17 in the cover and provided with a controllingmoek 18, having an operatingarm 19 in the path of the pin on the hook, whereby said pin opens the cock.

In witness whereof We have hereunto signed our names, this 23d day of J uly, 1904, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK TAYLOR CABLE. LAWRENCE Y. SPEAR. Witnesses:

H. G. TUTHILL, WILLIAM J. FIRTH. 

